Contact Form 7 Create Options List Lilsto

MIster jashon

7 min read

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Sep 30, 2024

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Creating Dynamic Options Lists in Contact Form 7 with lilstos

Contact Form 7 is a powerful plugin that lets you easily create forms for your WordPress website. One of its great features is the ability to use lilstos to create dynamic options lists for your forms. This lets you display data from external sources directly in your form fields, keeping your options up-to-date without manual updates.

Why Use lilstos?

lilstos provides a much more efficient way to manage options lists compared to manually adding each option to the Contact Form 7 editor. Here are some benefits:

• Dynamic Updates: Options lists automatically update with changes in the data source, ensuring accuracy and eliminating the need for manual adjustments.
• Data Efficiency: Storing your options in a data source instead of within the form itself reduces code clutter and makes your site more efficient.
• Flexibility: lilstos supports various data sources, allowing you to integrate your form with databases, spreadsheets, or APIs.

How to Use lilstos

Here's a step-by-step guide on using lilstos to create a dynamic options list in Contact Form 7:

1. Install the lilstos Plugin:

   • Download and install the lilstos plugin from the WordPress Plugin Directory.
   • Activate the plugin.

2. Configure Your Data Source:

   • The lilstos plugin supports different data sources, including:
     • Custom Posts: Utilize data from custom post types created within your WordPress website.
     • Taxonomies: Draw options from taxonomies associated with your custom post types.
     • Database Tables: Connect to your database and fetch options from specific tables.
     • External APIs: Integrate with external APIs and retrieve data.

3. Create Your lilstos Shortcode:

   • Go to the Contact Form 7 editor.
   • Within the form field where you want the options list, add a shortcode using the lilstos syntax:

     [lilstos source="your-data-source" field="your-field-name"] 
     

   • Replace "your-data-source" with the appropriate data source and "your-field-name" with the corresponding field from your data source.

4. Adjust lilstos Settings (Optional):

   • The lilstos plugin offers various settings to customize your options list:
     • show_empty: Determines if an empty option should be included in the list.
     • value_field: Specifies the field to use as the value for each option.
     • label_field: Indicates the field to use for the label of each option.
     • orderby: Sorts options in the list (e.g., "title", "date", "ID").
     • order: Sets the order of sorting (e.g., "ASC", "DESC").

5. Preview Your Form:

   • Go to the Contact Form 7 preview page to see the generated options list.

Example: Creating a Dropdown with lilstos

Let's create a dropdown menu for a Contact Form 7 form that displays a list of countries:

1. Create a Custom Post Type:

   • Create a custom post type named "Countries" to store country names.
   • Add a custom field named "country_name" to store the name of each country.

2. Add Countries to the Post Type:

   • Create posts for each country within the "Countries" post type.
   • Fill in the "country_name" field with the appropriate country name.

3. Create a lilstos Shortcode:

   • In your Contact Form 7, add a dropdown field and include the following lilstos shortcode:

     [select* your-country lilstos source="post_type:countries" field="country_name" show_empty="true"]
     

4. Save and Preview:

   • Save your form, and then go to the preview page to see the dropdown menu populated with the countries from your "Countries" post type.

Using lilstos for Other Form Fields

lilstos is not limited to dropdown menus. You can use it to generate options for other fields in Contact Form 7, such as:

• Radio Buttons: Create radio buttons with dynamic options.
• Checkboxes: Display multiple options as checkboxes.
• Select Multiple: Allow users to select multiple options from a list.

Tips for Using lilstos

• Clear Data Structure: Ensure your data source is well-structured and organized.
• Field Names: Carefully choose appropriate field names in your data source. These names will be used in your lilstos shortcode.
• Use Proper Syntax: Double-check the syntax of your lilstos shortcode to avoid errors.

Conclusion

Using lilstos in Contact Form 7 empowers you to create dynamic and efficient forms with options lists that seamlessly integrate with your website's content. By utilizing external data sources and automating the options generation process, you can maintain accurate and updated form fields, saving time and effort.